Fairyland, Witches & Souls of the Pagan Dead

Fairies as Souls of the Pagan Dead

by Susan Sheppard

Centuries after the Picts faded into oblivion the now Christian population of the British Isles began to view fairies somewhat as ghosts, since fairies were thought to be the unbaptized souls of the pagan dead. Much superstition surrounded fairies, and thus, they were not entirely trusted. In fact, fairies, such as banshees, thought to be the souls of women that died in during childbirth without given the proper rites by a priest, would visit curses on certain families. This was especially true of the families who did not honor the memories of these souls of the pagan dead.

Like the ghosts that haunted houses, it was believed fairies were not pure enough to get into heaven but were still too good for hell. Also, the souls of human beings were considered to be small and could crawl out of the body at night. Thus, fairies like ghosts might appear as small.

Yet the fairies could be terrifying. In Devonshire houses began to be by haunted what inhabitants concluded were Pixies. The Pixies and the Fauni (nature spirits) were reported to throw great stones, pieces of wood and clods of earth at inhabitants to drive them away from sacred groves and fairy mounds.

Fairies became associated with ghosts and spirits of the dead in other ways. It was thought the fairies, in a realm exactly parallel to our own, were helpers who assisted human souls into reaching the Otherworld, or Land of Eternal Youth after dying. Upon each human death, a disturbance would take place in the astral realms that the fairies could readily feel. When Celtic persons died the first spirits they were to meet were fairies coming to their aid for a peaceful transition. 

Fairies were also thought to attend births and christenings.

During Elizabethan times, the role of fairies grew diminished and the fae folk were shut inside the broom closet with witches, both no longer believed in. However, literary works, such as those by William Shakespeare continued to draw upon fairy lore as inspiration, even though the fairies were no longer the magical children of the pagan gods, or the fairy races as sentient beings. Fairies were no longer taken seriously.

Around this time, fairies began to shrink further in size. They weren’t giants or anywhere near to human size. In fact, fairies could be held in a teacup and people seemed immune to their blessings and curses. Fairies began to lose their power over the human imagination. By this time, it was thought if fairies were real, only children could see them.

Fairyland and the Dead

I have learned that whenever I dream of fairies someone is going to die. This may startle those who still view fairies as airy, winged sprites or as miniature angels, however, throughout history most especially in the British Isles fairies have long been associated witches and spirits of the dead. Yet the idea that links fairies with spirits of the dead should not cause alarm. It is all a part of the natural transition such beings have a part in.

Tales of human entry into Fairyland, mostly in Scotland, held that fairies attended to the dead, and were sometimes responsible for a number of hauntings in homes, or ghostly visits, acting as witch’s familiars. To some, fairies were souls from pre-Christian days cloaked in some astral form, not knowing how or deserving to get into a Christian heaven. In Celtic belief, it was thought Fairyland was the very first place souls would visit after death before moving on to an astral realm, guided by fairies into Summerland or Celtic Otherworld and the Netherworld of the Egyptians.

But in popular culture, this link has been largely forgotten. Death, and anything associated with it, such as ghosts or spirits of the dead, is an area of cultural and religious taboo. New age circles are not always so comfortable with the idea of ghosts or haunted places. We revere fairies while we fear the dead. The concept of ghosts remains disturbing to many and is erroneously associated with evil. It may seem hard to see fairies in such a place, but people in the past believed some fairies were in the land of the forgotten dead.

Some say that the communications with spirits upsets the dead and such spiritual interference should only be allowed during Samhain. In some respects, this very well may be true. But there are many spirits who still want to communicate with the living, and they will make their presence known until their message is received. This is what causes hauntings. Thus in our modem day, like the Banshee fairy that washes out the bloody clothes of her dead along waterways, fairies and their connections to ghosts have been rinsed of their powers.

Long ago, fairies and ghosts were viewed as much as the same, spirits neither good nor bad but something in-between. Even human beings were thought to be fairies if they showed special powers or unusual ugliness or beauty — much the same as witches. In Scotland, it was considered great esteem for a man to marry a woman who was a “fairy witch.” This could be dangerous as well since fairy witches were often blamed for blights and bad luck.

Yet in Ireland, where the ghosts were called Thevshi or Tash, Finarva, the King of the Fairies ruled over the dead. Again, there was danger that was associated with fairies and haunting ghosts. If not treated with proper respect, they might come back to wreak havoc on the living, thus, all fairies were referred to as “the little people” or the “wee folk” and the names of the dead were rarely spoken.

It was believed in the Celtic realm that when a soul leaves the body, it could be enticed away, at times, by fairies, looking for a new soul to join them in fairyland. Very small children were susceptible to this, because they fairies themselves are much like children themselves, open and natural to the world. In western Ireland, in Christian times, when a small child died, blood from a chicken would be sprinkled on the threshold so spirits or fairies would be enticed away from the body.

According to Lady Wilde, in her 1897 book Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms, and Superstitions of Ireland that starting on All Hallows Eve, “the dead would spring up in their shrouds and rush out into the moonlight with mad laughter to join the fairies.” On the last night of November, it was especially tenuous between the living, souls of the dead, and the fairies. It was this last night (believed by the Irish) that fairies would dance with souls of the dead on hillsides before they must return to the chilled, cold earth. Certain tales indicate fairy witches joined them in their dance.

Individuals who died at twilight would find themselves in Fairyland and could visit the living as ghosts. It is interesting to note that modern ghost researchers say the most opportune time to investigate ghosts and hauntings, is to start around dusk since this is the time spirits tend to show themselves to mortal human beings. Once again, with the coming of night pulls us into a twilight world, a ghostly dreamtime.

Fairies As Witch’s Familiars

Familiar spirits are ghosts, or discarnates such as fairies, that contact human beings routinely and can be used for magic. The most recognized familiar in witchcraft as in popular culture has to be a black cat, followed closely by a raven or a crow. Native American familiars arrive in the form of a totem animal more likely to be a bear, eagle or an elk. The animal’s body is possessed by another spirit or divinity that is primarily an imp, a ghost or a fairy. When called upon, the familiar may wish to assist a sorcerer, magician or witch, or rescue a person who needs help.

The name “familiar” was first used in English and Scottish witch trails, believed to appear as an attendant to witches and sorcerers. Familiar comes from the Latin word familiaris, meaning intimate, friendly with, as is related to one’s family or someone very familiar. The first used of familiar, as in a “familiar spirit,” imp or fairy, was written down in1584.

The animal familiar is mostly found in England where accused witches were thought to have familiars that were really fairies, demons, imps and elves, and sometimes ghosts of evil people invading the body of an animal. 
Familiars could be kept as a pet, or even a spider or a toad found inside the house of the accused witch. The idea of familiars traveled to America to show up in some of the Salem Witch Trials later.

By 1598, beliefs in fairies appearing in the guise of animals was firmly solidified, when a man in Aberdeen claimed he had met with the Quene of Elphen (Queen of Elfiand) along with her cats wandering along the rode at Twilight.

At this time, in Gaelic lands it was believed that anyone who passed away around at Twilight, his or her spirit could get lost, ending up in Elfiand only to return as ghosts. Fairies were very much like the undead, or the nosferatu, whom some believed they shared tombs with while in Elf or Fairyland.

Fairies and familiars exhibited related psychic powers, they have the ability to divine the future, and leave their realms, just like ghosts who want to interact with the living. They are also described as ghosts very early on, as in a green glowing light, rather large or small and inside a moving shadow. In British occult lore, it was believed that sometimes when the Devil appeared, he did as a handsome man dressed in green, a color primarily associated with fairies. The Devil would then vanish in the form of a black dog, of course, associating him to the banshee’s Black Shuck and other British hobgoblins.

What is lost on our culture today is fairies became a part of demonology after the witch trials. 

It is only when the Victorians cleaned up fairies, and their associations with witches and the dead, that they were re-introduced as very much watered down creatures.

It was once feared that when there was no water or milk left out for the fairies or familiar spirits that visited the home, they might have to drink human blood. The most common name for a witch’s familiar in England was “Robin.” It is interesting to note that the legendary figure of Robin Hood, like the fairies so often, is always portrayed wearing green clothing.

Fairies and Poltergeists

When considering poltergeists, and how we view them in our modern day, it is not so different than the way common folk used to see fairies. Fairies, like spirits, could cause havoc and mayhem in the household if not given the proper respect. Fairies could also move objects and hide them in the most unlikely places. At times, they even threw things, like glasses or cups and might splash food or liquids in people’s faces to show their unhappiness. Sometimes the fairies might drum to keep residents awake all night, tap or knock on doors or walls in order to draw attention to their plight or just to show their disapproval at homeowners. Others were reported to run a cane up and down the headboard of a bed or made loud invisible footsteps in homes. Unruly children might cause the fairies to slap, to pinch or push. Mysterious lights or shadows appear and disappear in the home. This was all just a part of fairy mischief.

If this all sounds vaguely familiar, it should. The unseen type of fairy, the kind that plays tricks, is very much like our everyday poltergeist. Of course, in German, poltergeist simply means a rapping ghost or meddlesome spirit. The appearance of the poltergeist tends to occur in cycles, and never appears as a person, or a personal ghost, with a face or a history or a name. (They may lie and respond to any name given though.) Some may mistake their poltergeist for a person that they know of that died in the home or perhaps a relative who passed on. Such unsettling occurrences, such as doors slamming, shelves crashing and empty footsteps must be explained somehow. But it usually is not. Poltergeists may be our own volatile and erratic psychic powers unleashed, and are typically associated with an adolescent boy or girl.

Therefore, the popular theory explaining poltergeists over the past fifty years is, that poltergeist phenomenon is fueled by dormant telekinetic powers found within the human brain. 

The stress of adolescents may stimulate the poltergeist activity that at one time could easily be mistaken for the powers of fairies, witches or spirits of the deceased. What is intriguing about linking poltergeists to fairy hauntings in the distant past is that poltergeists are generally not thought to be spirits of the dead, either. They are a form of haunting all on their own, but generally associated with other types of hauntings.

In fact, I have found during my own ghost investigations that the appearance of poltergeists are often a pre-cursor or a “firing up” to other major types of hauntings, which may involve actual ghosts or spirits of the dead. Where you have poltergeists, you will most likely find actual ghosts. There must be some synergy between the human mind and spirits, and other type of spirits, for instance fairies, earth energies, and elementals.

Imagine what might happen to the owner of a home plagued with poltergeists during the times of the witch trials and executions. It would seem insane to admit to poltergeists (as fairies or ghosts or imps) in the home to anyone, most especially authorities who could put you on trial. And a number of witch inquisitors, when visiting the homes of many supposed witch’s home, reported having their hats knocked from their heads, having their shins kicked and their pockets turned inside out. In any event, the only way to save oneself was to point a finger at the “real witch” responsible for the haunting.

Fairies as Elementals: Spiritual Expressions of Earth Energies

Elementals, or natural earth energies representing the four elements of fire, earth, water and air, have much in common with fairies. They are ethereal forms of life and spirit that are not usually seen by the human eye but are also expressions of earth energies. In fact, many believe fairies are just that — elemental spirits that are really not human in any way, but can be contacted by psychic visions and by other powers.

One could hardly call elementals supernatural since they are very much a part of the natural world. But they sometimes appear as balls of light, colored gases and cloudy lights, the rippling silver of waves on water, or even in the simple stirring of a blade of grass. Such energies have personalities and it is the tradition of witchcraft that interactions with elementals will benefit crops, will cause gardens to be more abundant and will generally make life on earth more pleasant for human beings. After all, elementals are in the primordial phase of all creation on earth and in our solar system. Yet they are not impartial to humans — they are in essence helpers.

Earth Elementals govern the physical realm of sinew, bone, mountain, muscle, grass and rock. Air Elementals govern the ethereal realms, such as wind, storms, the influencing of stars, planets, oxygen and spirit. Water Elementals represents the astral realm, just beyond the earth realm. They rule emotion, empathy, mediumship and ghosts.

As the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas once wrote: The force that through the green fuse drives the flower, drives my green age. Behind nature, perhaps, is where the spark of divinity lies. Such could be said of the elemental forces found in the natural that are apart from the human mind or soul, and yet also a part of both.
However, in more ancient times, it does not seem probable that that the beings country folk claimed to have communications with were spirits of nature. They saw fairies as very similar and related to human beings, sometimes wicked, other times mirthful and filled with wit, fairies could extremely ugly and yet at other times shining and beautiful beyond compare...

Summoning the Fairies by Susan Sheppard

Summoning The Fairies

Whether you believe fairies to be actual souls of pagan ancestors, shining ones named devas, earth’s elementals, spiritual guides or watchers, or ghosts from a forgotten race such as the Tuatha Da Dannan, there are ways to contact the fairy realms. In most instances, the fairies will contact you first, but if you wish to bring them into your own domain, with evidence for their existence, you might try these methods.

> Begin by making an effort to spend time in the natural world. Meditate or contemplate under a grove of cool trees, fall asleep under the stars, near an isolated water source, such as a waterfall or a stream. This will open your consciousness to the fairy realms.

> Get comfortable and relax, especially nearby a nature setting or one easily in your view. Now close your eyes. Allow your mind to fill with a rich, velvety darkness.

> Imagine a shimmering green light filling your mind’s eye. Mentally, move toward it. Focus fully on this glowing green.

> At this point, perhaps you feel a gentle rocking sensation. Surrender to it.

> Now imagine a shining green sphere expanding throughout the blackness. Watch the green ball fill throughout your consciousness. See black no longer. Only green. Now imagine a favorite scene from nature.

> Mentally, call out to your fairies or fairy. Do you see anyone walking or flying toward you? Is there mist, vapors or fluttering over you, or nearby?

> Invite your fairy into your abode. Greet your fairy visitor with good cheer.

Focus on a name or on a fairy clan name. If the fairy has no answer, think harder. (If the fairy does not give you a name, tell it to go away for the time being. It may not be one of the sidhe.)

> Expect your fairy to answer you in imagery and pictures. Your fairy may come across to you clear enough to get names and words. If you do, consider this a bonus.

> If you have a need, ask it of your fairy, or inquire of your fairy what ways your need or goal can be accomplished.

> Before your fairy leaves you, ask for peace and wisdom in forging your own path.

> Bid your fairy farewell by saying “Merry part.” To invite your fairy to visit with you again, set out small bowls of sugar, flowers, or milk.

Once you make contact psychically, creatively or mentally, there are signs that indicate the presences of fairies in your life. This may seem juvenile to some, but fairies were once and still are taken very seriously in parts in the British Isles and now America. Individuals in the past knew that fairies were powerful presences. That is why people in the countryside gave the sidhe great respect.

Signs of Fairy Presences

 > You experience dreams (ones that stick with you) where nature plays a prominent role, especially nature dreams that involve singing or music.

> Dreams of miniature human clothing, such as shoes, jackets or pants, etc.

>             The sound of bells, or childish laughter from which you cannot determine the source.

>             A sudden unexplainable gust of wind.

>             Finding impressions of circles in the grass not there the day before.

>             You hear your name being whispered into one ear (never aloud) and not in the other. You just basically hear whispering when no one is there.

>             A sudden feeling of warmth, wit or mirth. A giddy happiness.

>             What is usually termed poltergeist activity in the home, such as the motion or displacement of objects, disembodied movement such as lamps, swinging, doorbells being rung with no one there and other strange spiritual manifestations.

>             Pets begin to show great interest in certain parts of your yard, area or home, such as sniffing, whimpering or ears standing up or just becoming more alert.

>             Walking into a room or area and you suddenly see shimmering lights, or bright sparkles in the black grasses after dark, as well as evidence of small lights or miniature orbs in pictures near your home.

In a green world, this is what fairies are about. Do not be afraid to seek them out.

The Truth About Fairies

Fairies & Other Non-Human Spirit Beings

Spiritual beings, whether those that haunt us as ghosts or blessed beings such as angels, permeate our existence, surrounding us at critical times. Such spiritual beings will make themselves known as soon as they see a need to make contact with living persons and not until, unless you already a psychic medium who is gifted at peering into other dimensions.

But not all spirits are spirits of deceased relatives or resident ghosts. Not all spirits involve hauntings or possessed places and people. In fact, only a part of them do.

There is a realm parallel to the earth’s atmosphere that teems with spirits we have learned to refer to as fairies, elementals, angels and divas. There are also darker aspects to these spirit realms, such as vampires in folklore, 20th century Mothman or even a frightening psychological experience called the “Night Hag,” or “Old Hag.”

Although spirits such as fairies are often portrayed as miniature or winged human beings they are not exactly human. They are beyond all that. It does seem, however, they have a consciousness and an intelligence that wishes communication with other life forms. In fact, such beings are our helpers, even though we may not realize it.

“Fairy” or “faerie” comes from the Latin word fata or fate. The name was earliest associated with enchantment and also the witches powers of glamoury or bewitchment. The Celtic peoples and their descendants in the British Isles have the most dramatic and developed fairy lore or fairy faith of any other people on earth. But there are places, such as Japan, China, India and the Middle East that have their own supernatural beings similar to fairies.

Many of the fairy faiths and belief in fairies belong to the small island country off the coast of Great Britain. It is impossible to delve into European fairy lore and beliefs without looking into Ireland. It is also difficult to understand the complexity of fairy lore without considering that green, misty place with the brogue.

But fairies weren’t always called fairies. At least not in Ireland, Scotland or Wales. Fairy is relatively recent term, which at first enjoyed popularity in France as faerie. In the ancient Celtic tongue, fairies were referred to as the Sidhe, which is pronounced as Shee.

In modem day, our understanding of fairies is far from accurate. It is only very recently that fairies are portrayed as tiny dolls that are identical to young girls only with diaphanous wings. In earlier times, not all fairies were small, and like angels in the Middle East, were not thought to have wings. In fact, some fairies were giants and could be menacing, and many were feared. After all, fairy luck could be bad luck just as it could be good luck. It depended upon the mind-set of the fairies.

Irish legend taught that fairies were originally the “Tuatha de Danann,” or rather the “People of the Goddess Danu.” At one time, the Tuatha de Dannan, or the sidhe, were considered actual human beings who pre-dated the Celts in the British Isles by centuries. Excavations revealed gravesites with remains of people who were not the Celts, the Saxons or Nordic types. Many of the skeletons were beneath five feet tall. It was thought that the ghosts of the Tuatha de Danann could visit curses or blessings on people in the countryside. Also, some isolated people in the British Isles claimed these small people as their ancestors.

Fairies as a race of people

When the Celtic population of the British Isles spoke of the “Little People,” “the Little Darlings,” or the “Wee FoIk,” or sometimes just as “Themselves” in prayers or blessings they may have meant just that: little people, or rather a race of humans that were diminutive, a group who no longer existed, except in the tales that were told about them, in the stone art or cairns they left behind, and like the fairies the race became mythical, and to this day, still largely unknown.

In her book the “God of Witches,” anthropologist Margaret Murray pointed out links between British fairy lore and a strong fairy connection to a more ancient hereditary witchcraft, a connection now very slim in the mists of time, with a people who had almost entirely vanished and a magic that was inspired by an earlier race who probably did not speak an Indo-European language. Unlike the Celts and the Saxons who came later, they were a group that was mostly matrilineal or mother-based.

 

Such mysterious people tended to be small in stature and their skin may have been dark or dusky compared the Germanic or Norwegian types who came into the British Isles later. They are thought to have used their own skin as a canvas for their art since it was reported they were covered from head to toe with tattoos. This group was said to have painted their faces blue and their name holds the very essence of the word “picture” as it relates to their art of tattooing. The race is known as the Picts.

The Picts were one of the earlier groups in what is now modem Scotland, known then as Caledonia and Pictiand, although they inhabited other areas of the British Isles, especially Ireland. The Picts were in mainly Scotland as long as 1500 years ago but became converted to Christianity between the years 300 to 800 A.D. and then seemed to vanish entirely.
A 12th Century Icelander described the native Picts as “pygmies who did wonders in the morning and evenings as workers but who lost all strength in the midday sun.”
The Romans called the Picts as “picti” which meant painted although many believe pict was probably a Celtic word originally and perhaps, could be translated better as tattooed. 

The Picts were referred to later by the Celts as the Pict Sidhe. Translated, this simply means “painted fairy.” It is quite easy to see the evolution of the words Pict Sidhe into Pict-shee and later as “pixie.”

Later, other fairies in Scotland were called Pechs, which, of course, sounds a great deal like Picts. Like the Picts it was said the Pech fairies could not bear the sunlight and so had to do their work at night or very early morning. They were said to live in earthen mounds and fairy hills and only came out after dusk. Yet fairies seemed very much a composite of the ancestors, and such is written by later Scots that as a people and as a race the “Pechs were uncoo wee bodies, but terrible strang.”

Whenever one group moves into an area where there is evidence of some former culture dominated such as in stonework or stone art, the earlier race remains mysterious, and begin to have a divine status as select children of the Gods. Such seems to be the case with the Picts in the British Isles.

Since the Picts were matrilineal they were encouraged to take Irish brides, the Pictish influence faded in the British Isles around 800 AD. And yet, the history of these painted and tattooed people are firmly rooted in the fairy lore of Ireland, Scotland and other parts of the British Isles. There is little doubt the Tuatha de Danann once existed as people. So, in a sense, our memories of fairies may be remnants of a race of people, such as the Picts and earlier the Tuatha de Dannan, mostly mysterious and almost forgotten.

Sendings, Abduction By Fairies, Witches Hats & Elf Arrows -- Oh My!

What Is a Sending? 

Magicians and witches were able to send out thought forms in what was called “sendings” as in an act of sorcery or malevolent magick. For instance, if the magicians felt another magician was persecuting him, he might send an idea, a thought, or a ghost that might intimidate the other one into backing down.
            Pennsylvania Dutch Powwowers practiced the art of “sendings” causing what was then called "witch wars" in the Appalachian and Allegheny Mountains. Some of the German “hexenmeisters” or witches ended up murdered.
            “Sendings” can also involve positive intentions generated by love. For instance, if one wanted to send another one kind thoughts, comfort and aid. It has to do with whatever thought or intention takes form. A sending is considered a particularly powerful type of a spell. 

Abduction by Fairies

In ancient times, especially among the Celts and early British tribes, a belief in fairy abductions was common among the population. Fairies, during those periods, were thought to have guardianship over the realm of the dead and also the underworld.  It was then that fairies were given the task of guiding the souls of the dead departing earth by helping their transition into the afterlife. Because fairies were associated with death and were not viewed as the friendly sprites we now see them as, superstitions and fears surround them.  

 In the children’s classic “Peter Pan,” Tinkerbell is characterized as a jealous fairy.  Those who suffered from malingering illnesses (see “Hag-ridden” and “fairy led”) were believed to be victims of malevolent fairies (and sometimes their mortal kin witches) who stole people from their beds at night and rode them through the night sky like horses. (Here we see the relationship between the words “hag” and “nag” both tied to horses.) Even so, not all fairies had unkind intentions toward their fellow mortal human beings and often acted as helpmates and agents for good such as granting wishes and even doing housework when the owners were away!     Scotland, it was held in great esteem for a Scotsman to marry what was called a “faery witch,” insuring a life with fine children and other comfort rewards. Fairies were still feared by some and blamed for outbreaks of fires, bad crops, or livestock going dry, becoming diseased, or crops experiencing blight.

                                                       

When certain individuals woke up drained or tired in the morning, many sincerely believed to have been abducted by fairies the previous night. Fairy children or “changelings” were placed in the beds of children, while the real human child was stolen away to Fairyland.

Where Do Witches Hats Come From?

The symbol of the typical Halloween witches hat is extremely ancient. It represents the witches “Cone of Power” and has been found in Celtic graves in parts of China, where an elderly female shaman, with spiral tattoo and tartan plaid, was entombed with a black hat that anyone would recognize as a typical witches hat. Conical hats made of gold have also been unearthed in Ireland thought to be thousands of years old belonging to an group unknown, so far. The Dunce cap, used to humiliate schoolchildren in the 19th Century probably had its ancient purposes as well. It was thought the conical shape drew down wisdom from the heavenly bodies. In essence, the conical was thought to make people more attuned and of course, this made them a little smarter. Such a hat was also worn by people in the Middle Ages, but soon it grew out of style, except for the country folk, of

course, who were poor and could not afford a newer hat. Therefore, the hat was called a pagani, or a “hat worn by pagans,” another witchcraft connection for the conical hat.

What are Elf Arrows?

Fairies have always been believed to be capable of great mischief and even evil, so the same holds true for elves who sometimes take on an even darker energy or intent. People brought down by sudden strokes were thought to be victims of elf darts. Elves were believed to be capable of stopping any work or building over their own fairy territories, especially when a Christian or another type of church was built on top of fairy areas by defending them with their elf darts of elf arrows.

After all, the fairies are not all good and can be territorial or jealous. The name given to these elf darts or arrows, which are said to be triangular shaped flints, is Beleminites, found in many countries but most often in Scotland where the fairy magick was once particularly strong.

Elf arrows were thought to be fatal to cattle, and other forms of livestock. In fact, horses can be leveled and break their legs if hit by an elf dart or arrow.  After the British Isles were Christianized, elves were turned in to the Devil’s imps who were thought to bring paralysis on the Christian clergy with such darts. Later, witches were accused of using such darts to also bring destruction on their enemies. It is important to remember most accused of these charges were seldom witches, instead was the result of superstition and religious paranoia. 

Written In the Stars: May 2017 Horoscopes by Susan Sheppard

May’s stars have two planets moving out of retrograde which brings palpable relief. With Mercury (mind) and Venus (heart) leaving retrograde, expect a multitude of matters to correct themselves and life to move along more seamlessly. If you’ve got a clunker or a junker plaguing you don’t expect this problem to be fully resolved until after May 5th. Romance jumps back on track after a very uneven season of highs and lows—there will be some disappointment then fulfillment. Although May is the month of Taurus, there is a stellium of planets piled up in Aries bringing on both the bad and the good for this zodiac head-banger. The full moon lights up the skies on May 10th in the powerful sign of Scorpio. It may feel like a premature Halloween so there is no better time for a ghost investigation or just probing mysteries of all kinds. The new moon occurs on May 25th in the talkative sign of Gemini. It’s a worthwhile time to restart things simply by connecting up with people who can help you and also by using your gift of gab to direct the way.

Taurus Horoscope Dates (April 20-May 20) You are the power behind the throne now so you may not feel you are getting the reward or recognition for your hard work – yet you really are – it’s frustrating but this is the time for endurance and blind determination. While others seem to be basking in the sunlight, you’re in a bug-ridden cellar or moldy basement forever slaving away. Jupiter is still in your 6th House of opportunity, especially when it comes to path and career. Look for bang up success here, there and everywhere. Wealth: Saturn in your partner’s money house says it is probably slim pickings for now, but that changes in June. In fact, after the 25th, you will be given another shot to increase your finances in a big way. Health: Any health problems you have at the moment are probably diet related. Those of you who have been sick for a while will show some kind of improvement. If you are well, you still may be visiting medical facilities to help out a loved one or a friend. Love: Full Moon in Scorpio in your 7th House of Partners on the 10th predicts a possible affair or love connection overpoweringly passionate. It could be the start of something new. Be on the lookout for “J” and also “A.” Luck: Luck hits your 6th House of career and jobs. It’s a decent time to try out or apply for something that is beyond the usual.

Gemini Horoscope Dates May 21-June 20) Mars is traveling through your sign of the maniacal and mercurial twins so make the attempt to remain as calm as you possibly can for the time being. Mars makes one want to snarl but can enable you to get numerous things done and to cover a lot of ground as long as you don’t step on tootsies and fingers along the way. You’re not a patient sign anyway and you will feel your patience being drawn especially thin in May. Good news is, look for perks in the romance area of your life and possibly a new addition to the family. To be honest, if you’re not ready to have a child, do be careful… fertility is high for many Geminis. Make sure you can afford all that you attract. Make sure you have the stamina for all you draw.  Key initials for you this month are “B” and also “J.” They have what you need. Wealth: If you’re selling something, it will sell fast. So think big. Watch your bank account because next month it could show losses. Health: An eye test is in store. Medical tests may crop up. Love: Love finds you easily this month. The person may be physically larger than what you had in mind but still cute and sexy. Luck: You do have some luck to do some restrained gambling. Also, if a parent, your children will likely run into some good fortune.

Cancer Horoscope Dates June 21-July 22) Your stars are definitely rising but things may not be exactly predictable – if you think you know where your luck is heading, think again! You have unruly Uranus coupled with Venus and Mercury in your 10th House of Fame and the whole wide world! Expect all kinds of quirks. Neptune in your 9th House of Travel and Voyages speaks of either a spiritual journey or a trip near or over a large body of water. (This will be in effect all summer.) Mars in your 12th House of secrets predict there is something lurking behind the scenes that needs to be addressed. It is something that cannot go on much longer. All else is freed up as Mercury and Venus travel through your house success. Start that thing you’ve always wanted to do. Now is the time to begin it. Wealth: July and August look like the better months to accumulate wealth. Something hidden may be draining your income. Health: Right now, health issues are related to age no matter how old or young you are. You could have a syndrome related to the age that you are. Love: Love remains puzzling and still there are struggles. Luck: You get lucky by a development that has to do not only with the past, but also something that may have started 6-12 years ago. Think it over. There's a surprise. 

Leo Horoscope Dates (July 23-August 22) More than ever before, you want mind and body to run free. You want to throw off your shackles, to go out and explore, either through mind exploration, through classes, traveling or just reading books and learning new things. Those of you who may not be into that so much, may be planning the trip of a life time. A few of you may be attempting to escape a restrictive relationship, one that started with great promise but turned out to not be all that it was cracked up to be. Just at this time of wanting to be free strikes you, you are feeling a number of restrictions-- however some kind of document, paper or legal signings may give you the relief you’re looking for. It could be a job it could be a settlement. It’s not been easy but you are making strides in the right direction. The Full Moon on the 10th may bring a blast from the past. The New Moon on the 25th, will have you starting a new project with a friend. Wealth: Get your ducks in a row for a big financial boost in September. Health: It’s a good time for a full checkup. Love: Becoming more solid and mature. There may be someone you cannot forget, however. Luck: You get help from an attorney or family member.

Virgo Horoscope Dates (August 23-September 22) Uranus moves into your eighth house and rattles things up a bit. There could be some ambiguities or unexpected happenings surrounding money that is some part of your life but it doesn’t come from your own earnings or income. Instead, this might come through a partner or parental figure. The person may not even be a relative. Venus and Mercury coupled up in your 8th House could stimulate the appearance of a new physical attraction in your life, someone who is either very smitten by you or vice versa. Whatever the results, it will be stimulating and a source of excitement this month. Some of you will be getting some good news on either taxes, credit or joint finances. With Mars in your 10th House you will either feel driven to succeed or will be working very hard. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, as long as you keep your nose to the grindstone and don’t deviate from your goals. Neptune in your 7th House indicates a key person in your life, someone you trust, has pulled the wool over your eyes about something. If this is not the case, look for matters with substance abuse or escapism on the part of that person. Wealth: Your finances should be better than what they were. However, if not, they will improve before we enter the fall season. Health: You worry a lot about your health but it looks like things have stabilized and are not as bad as they were. Love: Filled with complexity and this conundrum of a relationship is not going away anytime too soon. Luck: Building upon what you already own, think increasing finances for the rest of 2017. It’s a worthy and reachable goal.

Libra Horoscope Dates (September 23-October 22) Relationships of all kinds have you all shook up. There is no doubt, your 7th House, that is “other people” and “partners” is your point of intensity throughout May. It is essential to not allow others to rattle you, at the current time, in fact, these oddballs in your life may just be teaching and enlightening you. As the Full Moon on the 10th slides through your 2nd House, this will activate other issues in your 8th. What does this mean? It boils down to you… but it is likely these developments in your life will have to do with either sex or money, or some kind of ending to something you thought would be in place for a long time. This could be job, friends, partners, whatever it is you hold solid or dear. Jupiter mid-way through your sign says you have another 6-8 months to really push your luck as far as you can. Put fear aside, and step into the ring. If you’re in for a battle, you can be assured you will be the victor. Wealth: Not so bad, but next year will be even better. Health: You have a mystery condition that is difficult to diagnose. Love: Intense, interesting, or just unpredictable. Luck: Push the pedal to the metal, you won’t have luck this decent for another twelve years.

Scorpio Horoscope Dates (October 23-November 21) Your job situation appears rather erratic. There are things you love about your work but it is just so stressful. Uranus in your 6th House of work indicates matters have cropped up you hadn’t planned on, so it may not be exactly what you had in mind. Mars in your 8th House says your pent up energy is in need of a release, and weirdly, this leaves you feeling exhausted. Neptune in the 5th shows that you have gotten very creative as of late or have found a great drinking buddy. Be wary in the romance area, love will be either fantastic or perilous. Fantastic as it means you could meet someone who will take you to the heights of passion, or just another knight with chinks in his armor, delivering promises but ending up disappointing as the last one or two. Marrieds may experience a reboot in the love life. Wealth: Money is spare, but you are making real, gradual advancements when it comes to finances and what you accumulate. This is a time that is teaching you money isn’t everything, there are other areas to look for happiness and contentment. Health: Love: Floaty, mysterious, not dependable or out-of-reach. Luck: You are simply waiting in the wings. 2018 is your BIG year when you can expect fabulousity. (Is that a word?)

Sagittarius Horoscope Dates (November 22-December 21) Saturn has been mud-wrestling in your sign for over a year now and the struggle continues. It seems for every step forward there are two steps back. There are family worries, to be sure as family members are in need of special attention and rescue. You might be dealing with an elderly family member, someone chronically ill or with substance abuse issues. You may be dealing with these things also in your job or profession. The planets are lined up for some interesting developments in your romance, the children around you or how you express yourself creatively. You may be attending an event that has some artistic element to it, such as a well-attended play, a concert or an art show with crowds and excitement. Mars in your 7th House of “other people” indicate quarrels are likely this month but they won’t be lasting long. You just aren’t as patient and long suffering as you used to be. At this time, you are looking for results then demanding them if results do not happen. Wealth: You’re making strides but there is some extra pressure on your pocket book. Money disappears as soon as get paid. Health: You may experience aches and pain that cause you to move a little slower. Love: Partners may spring something quite unexpected on you. Guard your temper. Patience will be necessary most of the month. Luck: A friend has a great idea, suggestion or piece or information. Also, groups of any kind will benefit you. In groups or through a meeting, you will learn to master or accomplish something really valuable.

Capricorn Horoscope Dates (December 22-January 19) In looking at your stars, I quite simply want to start singing “Don’t Give Up!” as times are stressful and even oppressive but underneath it all lies a real treasure waiting to be mined. You thought things had already come to a head before but it seems the bottom keeps falling out from under you, it is one crisis after another. You have lost a lot of foundation or support—but perhaps, you haven’t, it just feels that way at the current time. The good news is, your career and life’s goals are activated. Your star is rising high to the heavens…to the very top of your chart. The world sees you and recognizes the efforts you are putting in. Rewards are coming but they will probably not come speedily. The only way it can be for now is slow and steady, as well as maintain the trust and faith, that not only things will be better, they will be fabulous! You have the support of family but that support is not predictable as it was. There are wounds which you hold inside that you are not able to tell a soul about. By next fall it’s not going to matter anymore. Wealth: Not quite enough wealth for now but August shows improvement. Health: Weird, sudden pains plague you. That should phase out in a few weeks. Love: The Full Moon on the 10th brings in some new “hottie” if that’s what you’re looking for. Luck: Work and long-term goals are emphasized. What you work for now will be in effect positively for the next 6-12 years.

Aquarius Horoscope Dates (January 20 to February 18) It’s not what you’re expecting, but you are about to have many opportunities presented before you. In an odd way, not only do you feel “lucky” and that certain things seem ‘fated” in your life, you have a craving for knowledge or are at least you're in the mood to learn or tackle something entirely new. It will be a challenge but something you are up to taking on. You have a sense of daring right now and being at the right place at the right time. Currently, you may only want to a few close friends, shunning any friendships that seem shallow or meaningless. You are no longer willing to play along just to fit in. You may find that you have more energy for romance now, and if someone frustrates you romantically, you may decide to change the direction of the relationship. Look to “S” or “J” for some insight at this time. Wealth: It is now time to be much more responsible when it comes to money. Do be careful of waste and what you spend without thought or responsibility. Health: Gastrointestinal problems may plague you for now. Also, there is some stuffiness in your glands. Love: Vibrant and exciting but you may decide to change directions. Luck: You’re going on a trip or a voyage to new lands. This may happen on the inside of you, or the outside of you. It could go either way.

Pisces Horoscope Dates (February 19 to March 20) Mercury and Venus have joined Uranus in your 2nd House which has made finances quite unstable for a long time now. Not only does the 2nd House indicate money it also represents everything we value, thus, this jog from the universe may spark you to question all manner of material things and how much they really matter. At the same time, these transits can cause a sudden windfall where you can make a lot of money at one time. This month, all of these issues will be featured. These will cause you to reconsider all of your attachments to what is physical, comfortable and practical. Saturn transiting your 10th House is forcing you to question all of your achievements to date. It’s a time for working hard, reaping the rewards of tough work, being diligent and evaluating what you have or have not accomplished to date. You are listening to the symphony of the universe and you are following it yet the music is still faint. You are now digging into some of your deeply held issues. You need a clearer direction. It is a time of transformation followed by new starts. Mars in your 4th House of Family and home says you may become embroiled in a family issue or there is someone you are losing patience with. Mars moves to your 5th House next month and that is when you must attend to romantic affairs with more seriousness. Wealth: You have none. But things are improving. In fact, something lucky may come about right out of the blue. Health: You may experience back pain, inflammation in a specific area or have a circulatory issue such as high blood pressure. Love: There is someone unforgettable who is either distant or at a distance from you. There are spaces between you. Luck: The payment of debts, either one will be paid to you or you will be able pay a debt. Money problems will then relax. 

Aries Horoscope Dates (March 21-April 19) May will prove to be as highly active as April for you, despite some health matters, you are on the rebound and accomplishing much. For a while now, you’ve had many unexpected curve balls thrown your way, thus, your challenges have been many this year -- not only with yourself, but partners and family members. With Mercury and Venus both going direct, however, you will either have gotten used to the troubles, and have found ways to deal with them, or they will simply phase out entirely. Jupiter in the 7th House point outs you may be either getting a wedding proposal by the end of this year, or more of a commitment in your current relationship. You may be thinking about charitable events more than the norm, but be careful of over extending yourself. For better or worse your mind will be on causes right now. You can look for some dramatic changes in your career or place of work so look for that. You may choose to change paths all together. Your mother, if living, is in need of your attention. Venus is now smooching you and your Sun in Aries, so enjoy this wonderful attention. Someone truly loves you. Wealth: Pay attention to money all month because this is the one time of the year you attract what you need. Health: Concentrate on controlling the inflammation your body seems to have right now. Love: Someone new coming in quickly or a key relations becoming more secure. Luck: Through partners and alliances of all kinds.

If you are interested in a full chart reading from Susan Sheppard, send an email to ssheppard825@gmail.com

That is the natal chart, transits (predictions), progressed chart and synastry (couples chart.)